According to the human studies, pyruvate improves exercise performance primarily by enhancing the transport of glucose into the muscle cell.

Following his studies on exercise endurance, Stanko focused on pyruvate's effects on fat loss. The most recent study found that when obese female subjects were given pyruvate for three weeks, they lost 37% more weight and 48% more fat. These women were on a diet consisting of only 1,000 calories a day and were ingesting 30 grams of pyruvate daily (the control group consumed an equal amount of carbohydrates).

Two potential mechanisms by which pyruvate enhances both fat and weight loss are through increasing metabolism and fat utilization. Although animal studies have shown that pyruvate increases resting metabolic rate and fat utilization (as determined by a decrease in respiratory quotient), increased metabolic rate hasn't been found in humans. Still, preliminary data indicate that pyruvate may increase fat utilization in humans.

Netrition.com does not suggest that you go on a very low calorie diet to get the results as in Dr. Stanko's studies. Instead, pyruvate may be helpful in preventing a plateau in dieting due to depletion of liver ATP. Liver ATP depletion causes a decrease in T3 thyroid hormone which lowers the metabolism. An effective maintenance dose may be 5 grams per day after several days of 20 grams per day. We still recommend that you only diet with a moderate calorie deficit - about 10 to 15% less than the number of calories needed to maintain your current weight.